Origin Protocol, a blockchain-based sharing economy startup, has brought a PayPal co-founder on board as a research and development engineer, CoinDesk reported. Yu Pan will spearhead the startup’s research team, according co-founder Josh Fraser.

Prior to his new role, Pan was also an early YouTube employee and an employee of Google. He also co-founded a subscription service geared toward children called Kiwi Crate, but his latest job taps into his interest in finance.

“For financial startups, I’ve always looked for something that can create a seismic shift in the way commerce is done – I believe Origin Protocol can be one of those,” Pan told CoinDesk via e-mail.

In other news, Ripple has added a new member to its RippleNet blockchain network, CoinDesk reported. BankDhofar, a bank based in Oman, joined the network in an effort to tap into Ripple’s blockchain technology for cross-border payments. But the bank did not detail which Ripple products it would like to use, or if it wanted to use XRP ledger.